Al Sharpton opened his MSNBC show Thursday with a look at recently-released footage of Sen.Ted Cruz’s father Rafael Cruz telling a campaign crowd that he’d like to send President Obama “back to Kenya” among other “extreme” views. “Like father, like son,” Sharpton said, adding, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Sharpton went on to condemn the “vile” comments made by Rafael Cruz, who he called a “rising star in the GOP himself. He called the senior Mr. Cruz “a tea party hero who is a prime example of how extreme and hateful towards President Obama the right-wing has become.”

“Rafael Cruz does a lot more than just follow his son’s career,” Sharpton continued. He quoted a National Review article that called the senator’s father “not merely a confidant and a stand-in, but a special envoy.”

Pointing to other ultra right-wing speakers who have shared the stage with Ted Cruz in recent weeks and months, Sharpton said, “The extreme elements aren’t fringe anymore. They’re front and center for the whole party and the whole world to see. It’s all in the family, GOP style.”